Upfront

How to spell upfront

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce upfront

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does upfront mean?

1. adjectiveOpen, direct, and honest in dealing with others, without hiding anything.
2. adjectivePaid or required at the start, before goods or services are provided.

Upfront in a sentence

• The manager was upfront about the risks of the project.

• The contractor asked for an upfront deposit before starting the work.

• Clients appreciate a lawyer who is upfront about the likely costs.

• The gym charges an upfront fee plus a monthly subscription.

Where does upfront come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a relatively modern English compound, joining the native Old English 'up' with 'front'. The word 'front' itself travelled into English from Old French 'front', which came from the Latin 'frons, frontis', literally meaning 'forehead' or 'the foremost part of something'. From the idea of the foremost or leading position came the figurative senses that make 'upfront' useful: being placed openly at the front, hence 'honest and candid', and being required at the front of a transaction, hence 'paid in advance'. The single-word spelling rose to prominence in the second half of the twentieth century, especially in business and advertising contexts in the United States, where an 'upfront' payment was money settled before work began. The spelling trap is simply that it is now written solid as one word; the older two-word phrase 'up front' still exists, but the closed compound is the standard adjective and adverb.

How the word is built

• up (preposition/adverb of position)
• front (from Latin frons, frontis: forehead, foremost part); a modern compound meaning 'at the front' and figuratively 'open' or 'in advance'